The World Needs You!
by 8ami
Summary: Robin and Kid Flash are locked in a room together forced to fight. One of them escapes or neither of them do. One of them makes a decision that he won't regret and the other is astounded at their actions. And lets not get started on the teen hero's reason for such action.


**Title**: The World Needs You!  
**Word Count**: 2,741  
**Pairings**: None, just some friendship.  
**Summary**: Robin and Kid Flash are locked in a room together forced to fight. One of them escapes or neither of them do. One of them makes a decision that he won't regret and the other is astounded at their actions. And lets not get started on the teen hero's reason for such action.

* * *

They were pitted against each other, locked in a room neither could escape - and boy, did they try - with only one way out, with only one of them getting out.

"Fight for a winning." The voice demanded. The one they didn't recognize but somehow knew. They knew they had heard it before but where and from who, neither knew. It's order had been given nearly an hour ago. They were running out of time.

"You have three hours or you both are declared losers." The voice laughed - it wasn't a madman's laugh, no, it was intelligent and maniacal. "And you don't want to know what happens to the loser."

They had no idea where the rest of the team was, but the voice had given hints to them being in similar situations. Though, they hoped that wasn't true. They're hope was starting to dwindle. And not just in the team.

Suddenly, the boy in yellow stopped pacing and he turned to face the little bird that was his companion, his teammate, his best friend. His face was set in determination and clear disgust. He had made up his mind. Only one of them were going to get out of this.

"This is all your fault!" Robin's hidden eyes snapped to Kid Flash, surprise written on his face.

"Wh-what are you talkin-" Robin was cut off as Kid Flash threw his arms about him.

"This! It's all your fault! You were suppose to watch the sensors! But you got cocky!" Kid Flash, Wally shouted, his voice rough with emotions. "You should have been paying closer attention! You underestimated our enemy like you always do! You and your damn ego got us here!"

Robin stared slack-jawed at his friend before shock and stressed bubbled over into rage. "Ego?! If anyone has ego here it's you, Kid _Perfect_! You were the one that rushed me!"

Wally huffed a mocking laugh as he stepped closer to his friend. Much too close. Within hitting distance. "Don't go blaming this on me like you always do! I'm not going to let you, not this time! I'm tired of making the _little kid_ on the team feel good!" He barked.

"If you've forgotten I've been fighting crime longer than you have KF!" Robin argues back, confused. Why was his best friend saying all of things things? What was he doing?

Kid didn't give him time to ponder those questions as he continued with the harsh words. No time to think, or he'll figure it out. "More like you've been screwing up a longer than me, Rob! You failure!" Another hard laugh, "But I guess it's hard to break habit when you've been at it so long, huh?"

No time to think. Too close. Only one of them were going to get out of this.

"I mean...you're the failure," Kid Flash took a deep breath and watched as rage surfaced on Robin's face again. "that got _your parents killed_. You could have saved them just like you could have saved us."

The words were low, almost as if he hadn't wanted to speak them, and they home. _Hard_. Robin's fist clenched tight.

"H-how. Dare. You!" And Robin lands a solid punch on Kid's jaw. As he stumbled back, Robin launches himself at the redhead. The older teen blocks a few punches but Robin lands most of them.

Don't take it easy, he'll figure something is up. Don't give him time to think. Don't slow down.

Kid Flash rolls Robin off of him and zips about the room trying to get a good angle on the bird. Robin didn't waste time standing up and spilling several marbles from his utility belt onto the floor.

With precise footwork, Kid slipped on the small glass balls, falling to the ground. He tries to catch himself with his hands. He hears a crack and yelps out in pain. When he looks up Robin is standing near him.

"I think you had me confused with yourself, Kid Flash. I'm no failure!" The rage was beginning to subside as pain began to take over. Pain and long time insecurities. "It wasn't my fault. I couldn't have done anything to stop it." He voice was lowering.

Only one of them were going to get out of this.

Kid couldn't let the kid get sentimental. Not now, not when he was so close to getting out of here. At least, if the voice keep it's word that is. But Kid Flash had no other options but to believe the voice, but to believe that Robin could get out of here. So, he pushed forward, regrettably.

"Lies! Lies, and you know it! I'm so much better than you. Always have been. After all I'm meta! You're just human!" He shouts, pushing away Robin's soft voice of worry and ignoring the sad comments. "I'm the one always saving your ass on missions."

Robin catches Kid's eyes and looks at the teen like he's never seen him before, studying him. And for a second Wally thinks the jig is up and Robin knows - or worse he's waited to long and Robin is over-thinking his small mistakes - but then Robin shakes his head in disgust.

"You're so wrong, KF, it's not even funny." And then Robin is on top of him again, they wrestle but ultimately Robin stays on top and throws punch after punch after punch. "You have no idea how many times I have saved _you_! I'm always saving you! It's me! Not you!"

_**WINNER!**_

A loud, robotic voice shouts within the small room. Robin pauses in his attacks and looks up and around at the sudden outsider. Kid Flash just shuts his blackened eyes relieved.

The voice they had heard before returns, "I'm so glad to see that finally one of you have made a move. The others are still stalling. In hopes for the League perhaps." A slight pause, to let the information of the rest of the team sinks in. "Congratulations Robin on your victory."

"My victory?" Robin questions as he pushes himself off of his teammate.

"Yes, your victory. You have beaten Kid Flash in a duel. You will be allowed to return for you have proven to me that you are fit to help the people of Earth." Robin's emotions are settling, and he has time to think now. He looks down at his bruised and bleeding friend, the one that is smiling, the one that he had hurt.

"KF..." Green eyes snapped open at the letters catching Robin's hidden ones. "What did you do?"

A sharp sound of crushing metal and then a long hiss brings both boy's attention to the far wall where a door is unsealed. There is an natural light on the other side of the door. "Your exit, my victor." The voice states with glee.

Robin doesn't want to leave. He wants answers. He wants to know what the hell just happened. What did Kid just do? What was the real reason behind all of his words?

He's about to yell, demanding answers, about to move to his friend, shake him until he answered, take him with him, but before he could do anything there is a loud explosion and the unnatural light fades away to dust and shouts.

In the next few seconds there are more explosions and the the voice is yelling orders in distraught over the correspondents of several different League members and hopeful reunions of some of the Leaguers and the rest of Robin's team. "Robin?!" Someone shouts.

Robin knows that voice. He'll know it forever. "Batman! I'm in here!" He returns rushing from the back of the room to the opening. Batman brings Robin in a brief hug before asking if he is alright. Past Batman, Robin can make out the scenes of a battle ending. Superman was holding a man with dusty blond hair in a firm grip. The man was cursing in the same voice Robin had heard. Superboy and M'gann were hugging tightly a short distance away with Black Canary standing close by over seeing them. Kuldar is being checked over by his king while Artemis is answering Wonderwoman's delicate questions.

When Robin sees that Flash isn't there, he recalls the man's latest mission off-world. Robin had spent an entire hour laughing with Kid Flash imaging the most ridiculous situations the red hero could have found himself in. Wally had been so worried about his uncle and Robin did what he could to make him feel better.

"Robin, I asked if you were okay?" Batman hadn't taken his eyes off of him.

Robin turns to look at his foster father and then throws his arms around the man again, this time tighter. "I'm f-fine, but Wally needs help." He stats forcing himself to pull away. Batman's gaze slides off of Robin and to the young hero laying on the floor past Robin. With only a few steps he's beside the boy and on his knees. He had lost consciousness.

"What happened? None of the others were injured." Batman asks checking Kid Flash's pulse.

Robin doesn't say anything. He can't. He doesn't know what happened.

* * *

Kid Flash woke up a day later. He was out of his costume with an I.V. hooked to his right arm. He huffed a breath in, forcing his eyes to flutter open as he tried to remember. It came back in a flash and he jolted up right. "Robin!" He begins to look about the room.

"I'm right here, KF." The soft, even voice catches Wally's attention and he turns to his right finding the bird in civvies sitting in a chair at his bedside.

Kid's body visually relaxes, "Where are we?" He asked. He could guess and he had an idea but he needed to hear it.

"Mount Justice. The League saved us." Robin's words are short and Wally can tell he's guarding himself. And he knows why.

"Good to know." Kid Flash slides his legs off the bed's edge, facing the bird. This face changing from unsure patient to determined teen, "If we're home, then Rob, you got to know everything I said in there it was a lie. You know that right?"

Robin's head lowers just a bit. He bites his lips. Wally leans forward, placing a hand on Robin's shoulder. "You know that right?" He asks again. Robin looks up, but continue to stay quiet. He knows, he really does, now that he has time to think, but that doesn't stop a part of him from being unsure, to questioning.

"Robin, I didn't say a single word in that room was the truth. You aren't a failure. You aren't a screw up, okay? It was a lie. You aren't over confident, you don't have an ego, it doesn't matter than you're human, and none of it was your fault." Kid repented, his words reflecting in his face.

"Then why did you say it?" Robin asks because he needs to know. He has an idea, but he's still unsure.

Wally laughs and it's a real laugh this time. Not hard or harsh or anything mean, no, it's a good laugh. "We didn't have all the time in the world, Rob, I wasn't sure we were both going to get out. If both of us couldn't get out then one of us had to. So that we could continue being the heroes that we are."

"Then why me?" Robin asks. He isn't unsure anymore about what happened in that room, but he's questioning the reason. And Kid better have a good answer because self-sacrificing...Robin shook his head, ending that trail of thought, the trail of thought that ended with Kid dying.

"It wasn't a choice, dude." Kid states simply, with a shrug of his shoulders, "I mean, you're a hero, Robin. A real hero. One the world needs. The way I see the world needs you; it doesn't need me." There was a drip of sadness of Wally's words now, but the boy continued to wear a slim smile. "You're one of the best heroes I know, Rob, and you can only get better."

"You thought I would be okay with this?" Robin asked in disbelief, standing and throwing his hands out. His chair fell back from his sudden action.

Wally kept his gaze. "No, but I knew you'd get through it. You'd over come it like you've overcome everything else in your past. Might be a bit hard, but Rob, you're tough as nails and in the end you'd come out better for it. This world needs a hero like you - one that is so grateful, so loving, so strong. It needs you. The choice was easy."

The two teen heroes fall silent. Robin doesn't understand where this all came from. Could Wally really think all of this of him? How could he think such amazing things about some kid?

Robin lets a puff of air, still reeling with emotions he didn't think he could have all at once, and runs a hand through his hair. "You know none of the others ended up fighting. Why did you start the fight?" Robin asks changing topics. Kid Flash had made it clear his views so far.

For the first time a frown dressed Wally's lips and his eyes drooped down for a moment. "I guess I don't have as much faith in the League as they do. I haven't for a while now, actually." Wally shakes his head knowing that sounds wrong and stops the questioning before it begins. "I don't know, dude, maybe I just have more faith in you than the League."

"H-how can you think all of this of _ME_?" Robin breaths in disbelief.

"It's easy." Kid states reattaching his smile. "I know you; I've seen you fight - both internal and external battles. I've seen you go through hell and know you've been through worse. Cause every battle I know you walk in with only a belt full of gadgets and your head. I know the reason you fight is make the world a safer place for kids like you - so that no one has to see their parents killed - and that's amazing. I've seen you pushed to your limits, never compromise who you are, still win. I've see you at your lowest and know that's still pretty damn good even if you don't. I know that your humility will save us just as much as your fighting skills will."

Robin doesn't respond, instead he hugs the other boy. It's a little awkward because Wally is still sitting on the bed but they make it work. "God, KF." Robin whispers, "I'd hate you right now for what you did but how can I with that reasoning?"

Wally chuckles. "I don't know, dude, but I'm glad you're safe."

They break the hug as the infirmary door slides open and Batman comes in. The team is waiting out in the hallway and after Batman checks Kid over in a quick examination he lets them in. They're all curious in finding out how he got hurt but Kid dodges with questions with skill and Robin stands back just watching his friend laugh and smile with their team.

He's still having trouble wrapping his head around everything, he's still upset with what happened in that room, he's still in utter shock at what Wally had to say, but he also realizes that Wally's right. He's strong and he'll get through this. Just maybe, not for the reason Wally thinks. He'll get through this - _all_ of this - because he has Kid Flash besides him.


End file.
